WHY Pure, unadulterated Peruvian flavors (puro sabor means ‘pure flavor’) in a sweet Valley spot with modest prices.

WHAT This isn’t the most scenic neighborhood in Van Nuys, but inside is a cheerful, spotless café that showcases the accomplished cooking of chef Juana Paz, a bank teller from Peru who succeeded in achieving her twin dreams of moving to the United States and having her own restaurant. Everything she makes is wonderful: sparkling, well-balanced ceviches; a superb parihuela, the South American answer to bouillabaisse; seco de chivo, a rich, long-simmered kid stew; lumberjack-size Peruvian breakfasts on weekends; and, for dessert, heavenly picarones, tempura-light pumpkin doughnuts.

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